Cross leaped, dodging a bomb. An explosion crumbled a tree, splinters shooting toward him so numerously he felt his skin tear and prickle in the sharp dust.

He was falling slowly toward the ground--

Then something zoomed in from the direction of the mansion, hooked around his neck, and make him plunge to the ground.

An older man, his clothes half down, stepped hard on Cross' hand and shoulder-- easily pinning the young boy in place.

"It is nice to see you again, intruder," Elder Yun grumbled, "I suspect you came back for your death?"

An arrow zoomed toward him-- Elder Yun easily avoided it, sending a glare at the direction of the archer. Takara was caught in a bomb, and fell from the tree.

"Takara!" Cross called, "you, get off me, old man!"

Elder Yun aimed his sword at Cross' neck. "We should hold your execution now as well, since we have the chance. You have been here long enough."

Cross flinched.

"Where's Luz?" he demanded, "wasn't he inside?"

Elder Yun laughed, "I see... the both of you have banded together like the weaklings you are," he jeered, "I left him in there to die-- if you miss him so, I'll send you to him right away."

Cross tagged out immediately, emerging behind the old man and leaping with his blade aimed at the old man's head.

The man swerved sharply, planting a hand at Cross' stomach before his palm exploded in blue flame, scorching through the boy's clothes in a searing rush of heat.

Cross was blown back.

   ─   

"Cross!" Takara shot up, realizing then that he was surrounded. 

Spinning, he brought his feet a swerve across, swiping his surrounding people off their feet. He scrambled up another tree, wincing at his lack of arrows.

An assassin ambushed him from above, arms locked in a strangle at his neck-- With as much strength as he could muster, Takara threw the man off his back.

With the butt of his crossbow, he slammed the wooden contraption on a man's head.

"You're a fighter," someone mused, "I had assumed you were a coward, with those long-ranged projectile weapons and your constant liking to hide in trees."

Takara flinched at the voice behind him, swinging a fist backward but hitting nothing.

A boy sent a kick to the back of his head-- and Takara slipped off the tree.

"Wait-" he got up quickly, "a kid??"

The young boy, blond-haired, covered his head with a bandanna that shadowed over his eyes. He wielded a thin, black katana-- he looked like a teenager.

"Will you fight me?" he asked with a sly smile on his face, holding his sword with his left hand, "I haven't seen a warrior like you in a while."

Takara could've laughed, "you call for a fair fight with this difference in weaponry?"

The blond boy chuckled, "would that sword down there work for you?" he gestured at the sword of a fallen ninja by Takara's feet.

Takara picked it up without a second thought.

Briefly, he realized that no one else was going after Takara now. There were not many ninja left, but they all went after Cross. Takara was disregarded as he fought this blond boy.

Why?

"I'm not a swordsman, so I may disappoint you," Takara warned, gulping.

Was this blond boy something like the strongest warrior in the village or something?

Takara wasn't looking forward to this. 

   ─   

Cross found difficulty breathing

The blaze had passed through him and sear his chest, burning through his clothes painfully. He choked, cough-- and lifted his head with a sort of resolve in his eyes.

"That wasn't nice," he grunted.

He picked out his weapons-- and gripped the blades in his hands.

"What was that?" Elder Yun grumbled, his mood displeased, "a form of substitution jutsu? No," he was considering this deeply, sternly-- confused.

Cross tagged out with an unconscious ninja by Elder Yun's feet.

He leaped, swinging his foot aimed at the old man's jaw. Cross missed, and threw his weapons around the man, securing Elder Yun's wrists with his wired blades.

Pulling in, Cross landed a solid kick in the man's chest, flipping a foot upward to sock him in the jaw.

His hands hooked over his wires, Cross spun them around his knuckles and pulled them, forcing Elder Yun's hands to come together with strings that cut deeper against resistance.

"I see... is it witchcraft?" Elder Yun glared accusingly, "I supposed witches bond as a pack."

Angered, Cross tilted a blade aimed at Elder Yun's neck.

"You're annoying!" he growled, "leave Luz alone!"

"Don't butt your head into things you're not involved in!" Elder Yun snapped back, "You're just an intruder, a spy!"

Abruptly, Cross tugged the man forward, facing him close and boiling with rage. A blade stabbed deep into Elder Yun's shoulder, Cross seethed.

"Call me anything," he whispered, "but do not call me a spy of that clan."

Elder Yun's eyes widened. "You are--!!"

The mansion exploded.

   ─   

"You take that back right now!"

"I will not!"

Two figures threw out of the debris, hands at each other's collars and fists at each other's faces. White-haired twins crashed into the mountain ground, yelling at each other's throats.

"It's the witch!" someone realized, "and Luz!"

"Catch them, they escaped!" another called out, "Burn them!"

"Shut up!" Visul and Luz snapped synchronously, "we're busy right now!"

Everyone flinched.

Visul pulled at Luz's cheeks, "I haven't seen you in years and you're really grown a foul mouth, haven't you? You cheeky brat!"

"Shut up!" Luz pulled at her hair, "you haven't grown a bloody inch since I've last see you! You haven't grown up physically and mentally, not at all! Listen to me!"

"Hey, hey, is this the time for that?" Cross tagged in beside them, "Luz, we're kinda in the middle of something and--"

"We're kinda busy, come back later," Luz didn't spare him a glance.

Cross turned to Visul who was on the ground, reaching a hand out in lieu of a handshake, "I'm Cross. Are you Luz's sister? Nice to meet you."

Visul took the hand, standing up with a polite smile, "I'm Visul, it's nice to meet you too. Has my brother been troubling you?"

"Yes, he has!" Cross chuckled dryly, "can you believe this? He turned on us right after we came ashore on the island!"

"Reeally?" Visul laughed in a sort of mockery, "Luz, you should know better than to treat your friends like that! he's always like this! did you knooow, when he was five years old, he--"

"HEY!" Luz yelled, red flushing over his expression, "hitting it off right away, what's with you two? Is this the time for that?"

Cross stuck out his tongue at the boy, "Blerrrgh, you suck! You're bullying a girl!"

"That's right, you shouldn't bully girls, Luz," Visul fueled the flames, smiling mischievously.

"Enough from you, Vis!" Luz raised his voice, pulling up a dagger from his pocket, aiming it threateningly at Cross, "shut up, Cross! Butt out or I'll deal with you first!"

"Wanna fight?" Cross poised with his daggers, responding stoically.

"Teach him a lesson, Cross," Visul imitated a spirited tone with her stoic voice.

THUCK THUCK THUCK THUCK THUCK

All three of them screamed as five kunai zoomed past their eyes.

Takara crawled out from under a large piece of debris, blood dripping from his head and his shoulder cut through and heavily wounded.

His gaze was murderous, and his eyes were absolutely horrifying-- he stepped closer to the three idiots, picking out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it up with some blue flames.

"You three brats," he growled, "sit down."

He took a smoke, and breathed out a gassy bubble.

"Right there, now."

On that day, humanity received a grim reminder.

   ─   

   ─   

A large bump decorated each of their heads as they sat on their knees on the ground.

"I'm very sorry," they said in unison.

Takara folded his arms, begrudgingly content with the apology.

"Visul, were you? It's nice to finally know your name," Takara sighed, "I don't have anymore fucks to give about what the hell you and Luz were fighting about, but as you can probably see we have something much more pressing to be concerned about."

"Takara, you're bleeding."

"Be quiet, Cross." 

Luz clenched his fists, frustrated.

"You two should just get off the island," Visul spoke, "this battle has nothing to do with you. Just leave before you die."

"That's right, escape now!" Luz raised his tone, pointing at Visul, "and bring her with you!"

"I said I'm not going to leave!" Visul snapped back.

The two growled at each other like battling kittens, furious at each other--

Takara clicked his tongue.

The twins flinched, sitting straight in tension.

"Cross, let's get Serious now," Takara turned to the boy.

"Huh? I've been serious this whole time, though," Cross was bewildered, "Takara?"

Takara glared.

"Oh, sorry," Cross swallowed nervously, "I'll be Serious this time."

"You two!" Takara snapped toward the twins, "sit there quietly or help, do whatever you wish. We'll deal with your stupid shit after we're done here, got it?!"

The two shot back, fearful.

"Your response?" Takara demanded.

"Sir, yes sir!"